I received an email from USAA touting their USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express Credit Card. I almost immediately deleted it, because I just figured it wouldn’t be that worthwhile getting, but the thought of you, my faithful readers, made me keep reading. I’m glad I did.

It’s got some interesting category bonuses, ones that are very germaine of us living near a base, which I think is probably most of us. They include:

5% cash back on your first $3,000 in gas and military base purchases annually on these categories combined

2% cash back on your first $3,000 in supermarket purchases per year

Unlimited 1% cash back on everything else

These are really strong category bonuses; if you max out the first one, that’s $150 back on activities that you’d likely be doing anyways, and $60 back on the 2nd category.

What I can’t figure out is whether on-base commissaries count towards the first or the second category bonus. Anyone have any insights on that? Anyone going to get this one? I think I just might!

It’s a great deal, except that one of the rewards that USAA is offering with this credit card (the 5% cash back for purchases made on military bases) is actually EXCLUDED in the Rewards Terms and Conditions (the LEGAL TERMS that apply to the card).

And the Rewards Terms and Conditions makes no mention of any bonus other than item # 2. Earning Your Bonus USAA Cashback Rewards Plus Rebates on Gasoline and Groceries. With 2 bullet points:

1st point: 4% on up to $3,000 per Annual Rebate Period in your annual Eligible Purchases of gasoline made at Gasoline Stations and posted to your Account (this equals an annual Bonus Rebate of up to $120); and;

2nd point: 1% on up to $3,000 per Annual Rebate Period in annual Eligible Purchases of groceries made at Supermarkets and posted to your Account (this equals an annual Bonus Rebate of up to $30).

And reading and searching the Rewards Terms and Conditions for the words ‘military’ or ‘base’ does not produce any results.

I have reached out to USAA regarding the difference between what they are offering and what the legal Rewards Terms and Conditions require them to provide as rewards for use of the card. The representative mentioned that people are NOT receiving BONUS rewards (they are just getting the 1% rewards) for purchases made on military bases that at the gasoline/convenience stores that are made inside (instead of at the card reader on the gas pump). In the cases the representative mentioned, the purchases were coding as food (but not grocery/supermarket).

All this makes it just a 5% cash back card ($3,000 annual limit) on gasoline and 2% cash back on groceries, and 1% cash back on everything else, that can also be used for non-targeted Amex offers (Twitter, Facebook, etc.).

For what it’s worth, the American Express Blue Cash Everyday codes the commissary as triggering bonus rewards [3% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets, up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)].